Educational assortative mating in Italy: what can Gini’s homogamy index still say?

The homogamy index proposed by Gini is applied to describe the changes occurred in marital choice - across time and regions in Italy. The relevant increase in education by women has provoked an increase in the number of homogamous couples and in an increasing proportion of women who marry downward. Relevant differences are observed in the case of informal unions and mixed marriages

Piezoelectricity Enhancement of Nanogenerators Based on PDMS and ZnSnO3Nanowires through Microstructuration

The current trend for smart, self-sustainable, and multifunctional technology demands for the development of energy harvesters based on widely available and environmentally friendly materials. In this context, ZnSnO3 nanostructures show promising potential because of their high polarization, which can be explored in piezoelectric devices. Nevertheless, a pure phase of ZnSnO3 is hard to achieve because of its metastability, and obtaining it in the form of nanowires is even more challenging. Although some groups have already reported the mixing of ZnSnO3 nanostructures with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to produce a nanogenerator, the resultant polymeric film is usually flat and does not take advantage of an enhanced piezoelectric contribution achieved through its microstructuration. Herein, a microstructured composite of nanowires synthesized by a seed-layer free hydrothermal route mixed with PDMS (ZnSnO3@PDMS) is proposed to produce nanogenerators. PFM measurements show a clear enhancement of d33 for single ZnSnO3 versus ZnO nanowires (23 ± 4 pm/V vs 9 ± 2 pm/V). The microstructuration introduced herein results in an enhancement of the piezoelectric effect of the ZnSnO3 nanowires, enabling nanogenerators with an output voltage, current, and instantaneous power density of 120 V, 13 μA, and 230 μW·cm-2, respectively. Even using an active area smaller than 1 cm2, the performance of this nanogenerator enables lighting up multiple LEDs and other small electronic devices, thus proving great potential for wearables and portable electronics

Spatial-distribution of recombination centers in gaaste - effects of the doping level

The distribution in liquid-encapsulated-Czochralski (LEC) GaAs:Te wafers of point and complex defects has been investigated together with their influence on the minority-carrier diffusion length L. Three wafers with different Te-doping concentration (2.2 X 10(17), 4.5 X 10(17), and 1.5 X 10(18) cm-3) have been studied by means of the electron-beam-induced-current (EBIC) mode of scanning electron microscopy and of the surface photovoltage (SPV) method. The morphology and electrical activity of the defects observed across each wafer have been correlated to the formation and distribution of deep electronic levels, which are significantly affected by the tellurium concentration. The diffusion length has been found to be mainly controlled by deep levels associated with dislocations. EBIC localized measurements of L and of the net ionized free-carrier concentration provide evidence for the influence of Te concentration on impurity segregation at complex defects

The legacy of Corrado Gini in population studies

This volume contains 12 papers that range over many different research subjects, taking in many of the population questions that, directly or indirectly, absorbed Corrado Gini as demographer and social scientist over several decades. They vary from the analysis of the living conditions and behaviours of the growing foreign population (measurements and methods of analysis, socio-economic conditions and health, ethnic residential segregation, sex-ratio at birth), to studies on the homogamy of couples; from population theories (with reference to the cyclical theory of populations) to the modelling approach to estimating mortality in adult ages or estimating time transfers, by age and sex, related to informal child care and adult care; from historical studies that take up themes dear to Gini (such as the estimates of Italian military deaths in WWI), to the application of Gini’s classical measurements to studying significant phenomena today (transition to adulthood and leaving the parental home, health care, disabled persons and social integration). The subjects and measurements that appear here are not intended to exhaust the broad spectrum of Gini’s research work in the demographic and social field (nor could they), but they can make up a part of the intersection between his vast legacy and some interesting topics in current research, some of which were not even imaginable in the mid twentieth century. Looking at the many contributions that celebrated Gini in Treviso and thinking about his legacy, it seems possible to identify at least two typologies of approach, to be found in this issue of the journal, too. On the one hand, there are contributions that aim to retrieve and discuss themes, methodologies and measurements dealt with or used by Gini so as to evaluate their present relevance and importance in the current scholarly debate. On the other, there are contributions that deal with topics that are far from Gini’s work, as they study very recent phenomena, but actually, among other things, make use of methods and indicators devised by Gini that are now so much part of the common currency of methodology, so they don’t require explicit reference to their Author

Ageism in the third age

In the developed world, later life has brought more opportunities to contribute to society and pursue personal goals outside the role of paid work, combined with less stigma and greater recognition of the worth of older people. These values do not necessarily extend to the “oldest old” where some people in the fourth age (people 80 years old and over) continue to face increasing stigma and societal stereotypes from those in the third age (people 60–79 years old). Ageism between these two cohorts is rarely discussed in the literature. Potential ageism involves stereotypical perceptions of the oldest old and may prove detrimental to those transitioning from the third to the fourth age if a resultant resistance to maintain their engagement and independence into older age occurs. This chapter explores the subtleties of these inter-cohort ageist discourses particularly from a health and social care perspective and considers the implications for transitions of older people between the third and fourth age. It addresses the challenges and adjustments needed to ensure continuing and inclusive engagement in society, in order to support independence to grow old without the fear of discrimination

Thienoisoindigo-Based Semiconductor Nanowires Assembled with 2-Bromobenzaldehyde via Both Halogen and Chalcogen Bonding

We fabricated nanowires of a conjugated oligomer and applied them to organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The supramolecular assemblies of a thienoisoindigo-based small molecular organic semiconductor (TIIG-Bz) were prepared by co-precipitation with 2-bromobenzaldehyde (2-BBA) via a combination of halogen bonding (XB) between the bromide in 2-BBA and electron-donor groups in TIIG-Bz, and chalcogen bonding (CB) between the aldehyde in 2-BBA and sulfur in TIIG-Bz. It was found that 2-BBA could be incorporated into the conjugated planes of TIIG-Bz via XB and CB pairs, thereby increasing the pi - pi stacking area between the conjugated planes. As a result, the driving force for one-dimensional growth of the supramolecular assemblies via pi - pi stacking was significantly enhanced. TIIG-Bz/2-BBA nanowires were used to fabricate OFETs, showing significantly enhanced charge transfer mobility compared to OFETs based on pure TIIG-Bz thin films and nanowires, which demonstrates the benefit of nanowire fabrication using 2-BB

Roadmap on printable electronic materials for next-generation sensors

The dissemination of sensors is key to realizing a sustainable, ‘intelligent’ world, where everyday objects and environments are equipped with sensing capabilities to advance the sustainability and quality of our lives—e.g., via smart homes, smart cities, smart healthcare, smart logistics, Industry 4.0, and precision agriculture. The realization of the full potential of these applications critically depends on the availability of easy-to-make, low-cost sensor technologies. Sensors based on printable electronic materials offer the ideal platform: they can be fabricated through simple methods (e.g., printing and coating) and are compatible with high-throughput roll-to-roll processing. Moreover, printable electronic materials often allow the fabrication of sensors on flexible/stretchable/biodegradable substrates, thereby enabling the deployment of sensors in unconventional settings. Fulfilling the promise of printable electronic materials for sensing will require materials and device innovations to enhance their ability to transduce external stimuli—light, ionizing radiation, pressure, strain, force, temperature, gas, vapours, humidity, and other chemical and biological analytes. This Roadmap brings together the viewpoints of experts in various printable sensing materials—and devices thereof—to provide insights into the status and outlook of the field. Alongside recent materials and device innovations, the roadmap discusses the key outstanding challenges pertaining to each printable sensing technology. Finally, the Roadmap points to promising directions to overcome these challenges and thus enable ubiquitous sensing for a sustainable, ‘intelligent’ world

Measuring partnership homogamy in Italy: old methods for new issues

Metodi statistici di Gini per l'analisi dell'omogamia matrimoniale